Neville Has a Nightmare About Snape
by Finn'sFolly
Summary: Neville begins having terrifying nightmares about Professor Snape. Neville's roommates think it's funny until they all begin having the exact same dreams. When the boys fall ill, they suspect Snape's Dark Arts skills to be at the heart of their misfortunes, and devise a plan to stop him.
1. Chapter 1

UPDATE:I cleaned up the formatting on this. It was a little cramped-sorry for that.

#

"Do you mind if I walk with you guys?" mumbled Neville through his thick scarf. He was bundled so warmly that only his eyes were visible.

"Huh?" said Ron as he stopped and turned around. Neville pulled down his scarf and repeated the question. "Yeah, sure."

The boys, standing three abreast, began slowly to trudge their way through the snow back to Hogwarts.

"Where's Hermione?" mumbled Neville through his scarf.

"Studying," answered Harry.

"Where else?" snorted Ron.

"Oh, look at that," mumbled Neville as he stooped to pick something off the ground.

Ron and Harry walked on a few paces before realizing that Neville was no longer with them. They stopped and turned to see him dusting snow off of what looked to be a child's doll.

"He's playing with dolls now?" said Harry.

Ron shrugged his shoulders and both he and Harry were about to walk off when they saw Neville give a startled jump. The suddenness of his movement made them jump too. Curious now, they moved closer.

"What's that you've got, Neville?" shouted Harry. Neville mumbled an answer.

"Take that bloody scarf off your mouth!" shouted Ron. "We can't understand you!"

Neville tucked his scarf under his chin. "I thought it was a doll, but it's alive. It moved." He began to unbutton the top of his coat and put the tiny creature close to his body to warm it up.

"Ugh," said Ron. "That thing's hideous."

"It looks just like Snape," said Harry.

"Any idea what is it?" asked Neville, his little bundle now safely stowed away. Neither Ron nor Harry had any idea what is was. "I'll take him to Hagrid. He'll know what to do with him."

The creature looked like a tiny naked man with very large hands and feet, scrawny overly ling limbs, and long stringy black hair the obscured its face. The boys resumed their trek towards Hogwarts; this time with a quickened pace. Not because of the little doll-man, but because it was nearing dinner and Ron was starving.

#

The boys deposited their winter wrappings in their dorm room and made their way to the Great Hall. Neville lagged behind to tuck his new pet into his bed. Harry and Ron quickly forgot about Neville and his doll-man, and resumed their deep and profound conversation about Quidditch. Their conversation died down some as Ron piled food into his mouth. Hermione sat across from Harry with an open book in front of her. Ginny sat to Hermione's left, across from her brother. Neville accidentally elbowed Ginny, causing her to spill her pumpkin juice.

"Careful, Neville!"

"Sorry," said Neville, as he absentmindedly rubbed the area of his chest where he'd held the little doll-man.

"You okay, Neville?" said Harry.

"Yeah, why?" answered Neville, still rubbing his chest.

"Well, you're sort of…rubbing…."said Harry as he mimicked Neville.

Neville looked bewildered, like he had no idea what Harry was talking about. "I'm fine, really."

" 'kay then," said Harry, who exchanged a perplexed glance with Ron. The boys resumed their usual habit of chatting with Ginny and ignoring Hermione's book as well as any references she made to it.

#

The beds in the boys' dormitory were arranged in a sort of semi-circle around the room with their headboards butted up against the walls. Neville's bed was located centrally. Harry's bed was to Neville's right, and Ron's bed was to Harry's right. On Neville's left was Seamus' bed, and to Seamus' left sat Dean's bed. The boys had gone to bed a few hours ago and all were sleeping peacefully, except for one. Neville, who was lying on his back, began to shift slightly and moan softly. His head shifted, and his eyes rolled agitatedly underneath their lids.

#

_Neville's eyes opened with a start. He felt sweaty. He let out a short yelp when he saw a figure standing at the foot of his bed. He tried to call for Harry, but was unable to utter a sound. Neville recognized the figure immediately, despite the fact that it was half-shrouded in shadow; the slight build, the loose-fitting robes, and the pale angular face partially obscured by stringy black hair-It was Snape!_  
_Neville couldn't see his eyes, but Snape's face appeared immobile, almost slack-jawed. Snape pounced, without warning, onto Neville's bed. Neville was pinned under his blankets. He was shocked by the weight of Snape. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought Hagrid had just jumped on top of him. Snape's movements were almost cat-like; smooth and supple yet alarmingly unnatural as he slowly crawled over Neville's body. Snape stopped and hovered over Neville with his stringy black hair lying on Neville's face. His hot foul-smelling breath steamed into Neville's nose._

_#_

"Neville!" shouted Harry. "Open your eyes!" Neville's eyes popped open, and he saw Harry standing over him with his lighted wand in hand, and an irritable-looking Ron standing beside him.

"Where did he go? Did you see him?" stammered Neville.

"Who?" said Harry.

"Snape! Snape – he was here! He was on top of me…." Neville's voice trailed off as Harry and Ron exchange amused glances. The room had become silent.

"So, did you kiss him?" said Seamus a little too loudly, a broad silly grin plastered across his face.

"What?"

"You shouted," began Ron, "'no, no get off me. Harry help.'"

"No, you don't understand," said Neville. "It was really scary."

"A kiss from Snape would be pretty horrible," replied Harry. Ron had already gotten back into bed.

"Give the Git a goodnight kiss from me," said Dean. Everyone laughed – everyone but Neville.

"It's not funny!"

"You just had a nightmare," said Harry. "Go back to sleep." Harry didn't wait for a reply. He turned and sat on his bed, set his glasses on the nightstand, rubbed his tired eyes, and said through a yawn, "Nox." He set his wand down next to his glasses, laid down, and was asleep almost instantly. Neville rolled onto his side. He lay awake for some time before falling into an uneasy restless sleep.

#

Neville felt drained when Seamus woke him up in the morning. He washed and dressed for class in a stupor. He felt very thirsty, and stopped for drinks of water between every class. He had several glasses of pumpkin juice with each meal, and another large glass before bed. He was the first of the boys to retire. He hoped for a peaceful sleep, but it didn't happen. He had the same nightmare, and again was awoken by Harry calling his name and standing next to him. This pattern continued for nearly two weeks. By the twelfth night, Neville felt himself being slapped across the face and roused enough to hear Harry hoarsely shout, "Wake up!" The second he opened his eyes, the same hoarse voice told him curtly to go back to sleep. Harry was back in bed before Neville could sit up. Across the room, with silvery moonlight gently cascading across his bed, sat Dean. He was glaring at Neville.

"One more night of this, Neville," growled Dean, "and I'll put a bloody pillow over your face!"

"Will everyone please just shut up?" pleaded Ron.

"Sorry guys," said Neville.

"Not another word," spat Seamus.

#

The next day Neville passed out on his way to Potions class. The boys were too tired to crack jokes about it. They visited Neville just before dinner, and were grilled by Madame Pomfrey about Neville's condition.

"A boy doesn't suddenly become anemic without a reason!" snapped Pomfrey. "Are you boys certain that you haven't seen anything out of the ordinary? Anything at all?"

"No Madame Pomfrey," answered Harry. "Neville's been fine until today."

"None of you are hiding any pets?"

"No, ma'am," said the boys, almost in unison.

"Alright, you may visit him, but don't agitate him in anyway. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The boys seated themselves around a very groggy Neville. As tired as he was, he looked much better than he had. There was some color in his cheeks now as Madame Pomfrey had given him a Pepper-Up potion and a Blood Replenisher. About five minutes after they sat down, professor Snape strolled into the ward. Neville shrank a little into his bed. The other four boys glared at Snape. He was carrying a goblet in one hand and a small box containing six stoppered vials in the other. Madame Pomfrey had requested a broad spectrum anti-parasitic.

"Thank you, Professor," said Madame Pomfrey as she relieved Snape of his burdens.

"Not at all," replied Snape. "The goblet is for immediate use. The vials can be stored for up to six months."

"Excellent," said Pomfrey. "Hopefully we won't be needing them."

"Professor Sprout is fumigating the greenhouses, so any further infection will be unlikely."

Pomfrey's eyes shifted and Snape's followed as someone else entered the ward. It was Professor McGonagall. The adults lowered their voices so the boys couldn't hear.

"Parasites, Poppy? Are you sure?" said McGonagall.

"Not entirely, Minerva" responded Poppy. "He has what looks to be pairs of puncture marks all over him, so I initially thought they were caused by an animal of some sort."

"You don't think a vampire could've gotten into the castle?" said McGonagall with some alarm.

"No," replied Poppy. "He's not infected with vampirism, and he has no animal venom in him that I can identify. A parasitic infection is the most likely culprit what with all the dangerous exotic plants he works with. It would easily explain the anemia too."

"And the puncture marks?" said Snape.

"Well, there are so many grouped together. They could easily give the impression of a pattern when, in fact, they are just random sores."

McGonagall shuddered. Snape looked up to see the boys glaring at him. He frowned and excused himself.

"Thank you, Severus," said McGonagall.

"My pleasure, Professor," replied Snape as he strode away.

"I've got the house elves disinfecting the boy's dormitory now. Are any of the others sick?"

"No, they're looking rather tired for some reason, but they're not anemic, nor do they have any sores on them."

The two women moved to Neville's bedside. Madame Pomfrey sat the box of vials on the table.

"Off you go, boys. Dinner's already started," said McGonagall.

Madame Pomfrey handed the goblet to Neville. "Drink all of it." She waited for him to finish.

"Mmm, nutmeg," said Neville.

Pomfrey collected the empty goblet and the box of vials and toddled off to her storeroom.

"How are you feeling, Longbottom?"

"I feel a lot better, Professor. I'm just really tired."

"I'll let you get some rest then, and I'll check in on you later."

#

Professor McGonagall peered suspiciously at Neville's four roommates as she strode by the Gryffindor table. They were so tired, they looked like zombies. Finnigan rested his chin on the table and was scraping food from his plate into his mouth. Dean Thomas' head rested on his fist. He scooped up a fork-full of food, missed his mouth, but still continued to chew. Weasley had never been seen to eat so slowly; his head periodically dropped so that his chin rested on his chest. Potter's head was cupped in one hand and hovered precariously over his mashed potatoes.

"Harry?" said Hermione. She was seated between Harry and Seamus. "Harry!" she said a little louder when he didn't respond.

"I don't know, I said!" shouted Harry as his head slid off his hand and onto his plate. Laughter erupted from both ends of the Gryffindor table when Harry raised his head to show his face covered in mashed potatoes.

"What is going on with you four?" said Hermione as she wiped potatoes off of Harry's face.

"Nothing, Hermione," answered Ron. "We're just tired."

"All four of you? Are you sure you're not sick too?"

"Madame Pomfrey said we're fine," said Seamus.

"Stop chewing, Dean! You haven't got any food in your mouth." Dean opened his eyes and saw a large pile of food sitting in his lap. "You four are up to something, and I will find out what it is."

"Honestly, Hermione, we're just tired," insisted Harry.


	2. Chapter 2

UPDATE: I cleaned up the formatting on this. It was a bit cramped-sorry for that.

#

They all went immediately to their dorm room leaving Hermione and Ginny to talk about them in the common room.

"Do you think we should've told Madame Pomfrey about Neville's nightmares?" said Seamus.

"No!" shouted the other three.

"I was just askin' guys."

"Do you know what would happen if word got out that Neville was dreaming about snogging Snape?" said Ron.

"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean," answered Seamus.

"We can't embarrass Neville like that," said Dean. "We'll just keep it between the four of us."

"Right," said Seamus.

"I'm in," said Ron. "You, Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm in. I wouldn't spread a rumor like that about my worst enemy. Well, maybe Malfoy."

They wasted no time getting into bed. Their sheets were crisp and clean. Their beds had never felt so comfortable. They were asleep a little more than an hour when they were all shaken out of their slumber by screams.

"Oh, shut up, Neville!" shouted Ron.

"It's not Neville," said Harry as he reached for his glasses.

Dean, with lighted wand, stood over Seamus calling his name. Seamus woke with a start and sat bolt upright. He received a cuff on the back of the head from Dean.

"What was that for?"

"For waking us all up!" spat Dean as he settled back into bed.

"I had a nightmare. The same one Neville had. It was horrible, and it definitely wasn't about snogging."

"Oh, great," grumbled Dean.

"We're all exhausted here," said Harry, "and we're all worried about Neville. That's all it is, exhaustion and nerves."

Ron got up and put on his dressing gown and shoes. "Fancy a trip to the kitchens, Harry?"

"Okay," answered Harry. "You two want anything?"

"An orange fizz," said Seamus as he lay back down, this time on his side, facing Dean.

"Yeah," snapped Dean. "I'd like a Draught of Living Death so I can get some bloody sleep!"

#

Harry and Ron returned with their arms laden with food and drink. They had just reached their dorm room door when Dean let out an hysterical scream. They burst in to see Dean standing on his bed with his wand drawn and pointing at Neville's bed.

"There! It's there!"

"Calm down," said Ron. He and Harry dumped all the food onto Dean's bed. They and Seamus drew their wands and cautiously approached Neville's bed. Ron stood at the foot, Harry stood on one side and Seamus on the other. They cautiously peered under the bed and saw nothing. They looked around the room and in their trunks. They even turned their beds on end and found nothing.

"You must've nodded off, Dean," said Ron.

"I was awake, I tell you!" snapped Dean.

"Okay, let's all try to stay calm," said Harry. "Can you describe what you saw?"

"Yeah, I got out of bed to stretch, and I looked over at Neville's bed. The clouds parted from the moon and the moonlight came through the window and shined right on it. It was sitting all crouched like on Neville's footboard. It was perched there like a bird. It was small – a little smaller than Professor Flitwick. It was really skinny with really long arms and legs, and big hands and feet. It had straggly dark hair over its face. I couldn't see its eyes, but I saw its mouth. It was wide and full of sharp teeth. It looked right at me, and then it was gone."

"Did you see it, Seamus?" asked Ron.

"No, I was asleep."

"You guys believe me, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Of course we believe you. But whatever it was, it's gone now."

"Gone?" shouted Dean. "Gone where? The windows are closed, the door-"

"It must've gone out when Harry and I opened the door."

"Oh," said Dean more calmly as he sat down on his bed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Ron divided up the food and Harry passed out the drinks. "Right, there's a grape fizz for you, Dean. Two cherry fizzes for Ron and an orange fizz each for Seamus and me."

Chatting and snacking had relaxed them. Now, with their bellies full, they grew sleepy once more. Not an hour had passed when Dean began screaming and woke them all up. Moments later there was a pounding on the door. One of the older students shouted at them. "Knock off that racket in there!"

"Sorry!" hollered Seamus.

"Jackass," muttered Ron.

"Did you see it again?" asked Seamus.

"No, I had Neville's dream. It was horrible." Dean was a little breathless and drenched in sweat.

Harry, exhausted and annoyed, threw himself back on his pillow. He was now so overtired that he couldn't go back to sleep. Ron tossed and turned in a fit. Dean sat up in bed, ever watchful, with his wand clutched tightly to his chest. Seamus moved his bed against Dean's and lay with his back to him, and his eyes fixed on Neville's bed. It seemed to take an eternity for morning to come. They'd never in their lives been so grateful for a Saturday. They couldn't wait to get out of their dorm room and practically ran to the Great Hall for breakfast. Seamus and Dean were unusually thirsty, and both drank an entire pitcher of pumpkin juice.  
It was a brisk sunny day. Most of the snow had melted. March had arrived and with it came unseasonably warm weather. Ron and Harry trudged out to the wide sweeping lawn and lay down in the grass to watch a couple of Hufflepuffs zooming around on their brooms. They fell fast asleep and didn't wake until Hermione called them for dinner.

"Your faces are sunburnt. Have you been sleeping on the lawn all day?"

"I guess," answered Ron, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Seamus and Dean have been sleeping in the common room all day. What is going on? I demand to know!" Hermione punctuated her final statement with a little stamp of her foot.

The boys stood to face her. "Please, Hermione," began Harry, "you can't tell anyone."

"If you're all getting ill like Neville, then Madame Pomfrey needs to know about it."

"We're not sick," said Ron.

"We need you to trust us," said Harry.

"Trust you two? Have you lost your minds?"

Ron and Harry looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. Ron leaned in and whispered, "Neville's been having nightmares."

"Nightmares?" repeated Hermione. "That's the big secret?"

"Shh," said Harry. "You don't understand. He's been dreaming about Snape."

"Well, that's not surprising. Neville's terrified of him."

"Look, I'm just going to lay it out for you-"

"Oh, please do, Ron. I'm beginning to get a headache."

"He's been dreaming about Snape…in bed."

"In bed?" repeated Hermione. "Do you mean asleep? What's so frightening about that? It's probably the only time the man's tolerable."

"In bed, as in…with Neville," explained Harry.

"Ewww," Hermione paled.

"Now she gets it," said Ron.

"How awful! It would be a living hell for Neville if anyone found out about that, especially professor Snape. But I don't understand why you four look so tired."

"Neville's kept us awake for nearly a fortnight," said Harry.

"We're so tired and on edge," added Ron, "that we're freaking each other out."

"Oh, I see. Well, Madame Pomfrey said she's keeping Neville in the hospital wing for a full week, just as a precaution, so you should all be able to get some rest. And I promise not to say anything about the nightmares. Poor Neville."

There's one thing that's been bothering me," said Harry. "That thing Dean saw. By his description, it looked a lot like that ugly Snape-doll, except for the size."

"I don't know if you're aware of this, Harry," began Hermione, "but every time you think something is ugly, you claim that it looks like Snape."

"Do not," replied Harry defiantly.

"You really do, mate," said Ron. "You call that giant yellow flower in the greenhouse, Snape's rose."

"So what?"

"Well, flowers don't really make think of the Git, you know?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Harry. "It's shaped like his nose."

"Oh, I see," said Ron slowly. He shot a quick glance at Hermione. Both decided to drop the subject as they had more pressing issues to sort out.

"Do I really need to ask you two to explain about the doll?"

"It can't be the doll-man-" began Ron.

"Snape-doll," corrected Harry.

"-Neville gave it to Hagrid."

"Oh, that's right," said Harry.

"Still waiting," said Hermione.

"Neville found an ugly little doll in Hogsmeade," began Ron. "Well, he thought it was a doll, but then it moved, and we knew it was alive."

"The thing was hideous," said Harry. "It looked just like Snape."

"That's remarkable, Harry," said Hermione.

"You know how soft-hearted Neville is," said Ron. "He brought it back with him."

"Why didn't you tell someone? That doll could be infectious."

"It can't be the Snape-doll," said Harry. "Hagrid would've said something. You know he can't keep secrets."

"We should still talk to him. He could be in danger."

"I saw Hagrid yesterday, Hermione. He was fine," said Harry.

"Besides," added Ron, "we can't take the chance of him finding out about Neville's nightmares. It'd be all over Hogsmeade in a matter of hours."

Hermione let out an irritated sigh. "Yes, you're right, Ron."

"There's a first."

Hermione slapped his shoulder. "Oh, stop it! We have to do what we can to preserve Neville's reputation—such as it is. It's nearly dinner; we should go and see him."

#

Neville was sitting up in bed eating his dinner from a tray. He looked well-rested, and most of his color had returned. The trio sat around him; Harry on one side, and Ron and Hermione on the other.

"I found them, Neville."

"Sorry," said Harry. "We fell asleep."

"It's alright," said Neville.

"You gonna finish that?" asked Ron as he reached for Neville's tray. Hermione slapped his hand away.

"Neville needs his strength, Ron." Hermione looked around before speaking again. "So, Neville, um, how about telling me about that doll you found."

"What doll?"

"The one you found in Hogsmeade," said Ron, a bit more snappishly than he'd planned, but then he was very hungry.

"I didn't find a doll."

Hermione looked suspiciously from Neville to Harry to Ron.

"Neville, you showed it to us," said Harry. "Remember, I said it looked like Snape?"

"I don't know what you're all going on about. I didn't find any doll." Neville raised his arm to scratch his nose, revealing red circular marks traveling down his wrists.

"Where did you get those marks?" said Hermione.

"What marks?"

"The ones on your wrist," Hermione pushed his sleeve up to reveal more marks. "Those."

Neville looked at her oddly. "Um, there's nothing there."

"What do you mean? I'm looking right at them!"

Harry pushed up the sleeve on Neville's other arm and revealed even more marks. "You don't see these?"

"See what? Alright, stop it! You're all just trying to scare me, and it's not funny."

"What's going on?" shouted Madame Pomfrey as she bustled into view. "Off with you! I won't have my patients upset! Go!" She turned her attention to Neville.

"It's time for your salve Mr. Longbottom."

"I don't know what for. There's nothing there."

Madame Pomfrey let out an irritated sigh, but said nothing.

#

"There's no way he couldn't see those marks," said Ron as soon as they were out of the hospital wing.

"But why would he lie?" said Harry. "It's not like Neville."

"I don't think he was lying," said Hermione. "He said the same thing to Madame Pomfrey. Judging by her reaction, she appears to be fed up arguing with him."


	3. Chapter 3

UPDATE: I cleaned up the formatting on this. It was a bit cramped-sorry for that.

#

The four boys went to bed immediately after dinner. All were looking forward to a good rest. They were feeling less jittery since their long naps earlier in the day. They climbed into bed, and after a little stretching and turning, they each fell into a deep sleep. Seamus' and Dean's beds were still pushed together. A little more than an hour later, Seamus woke up screaming. Ron bounced out of bed with a pillow in his hand intent on smothering Seamus.

"I saw it again!" cried Dean. "It was sitting on his chest!"

"Saw what?" Ron shouted back.

"That thing! That creature!"

Again the boys searched the room, and again they found nothing.

"We're not getting anywhere this way," said Harry. "I think we should take shifts. Ron and I will take the first one. We'll wake you two up in four hours."

Seamus and Dean settled into their beds with their backs as close to each other as they could get. It took them about twenty minutes to fall asleep. Harry and Ron were sitting up in their beds, wands in hand, waiting until the other two were sound asleep. Harry cleared his throat. Seamus and Dean didn't stir. He then threw his wand, and it clattered onto the middle of the floor. The two boys didn't even twitch.

"What are you doing?" whispered Ron.

"Accio wand. I was making sure they were asleep. I think we can talk now.

"I don't like the idea of that doll-man thing-" began Ron.

"Snape-doll."

"—running around and trying to kill us while we sleep."

"I don't think it is," said Harry.

"Dean saw it twice, not counting the nightmare."

"I don't think he did."

"But he described it perfectly," said Ron. "How do you explain that?"

"Neville must've shown the Snape-doll to him, or described it. And Dean's description wasn't entirely accurate. According to him, it was much bigger than the doll we saw."

"You're right," agreed Ron. "So what do you think is going on?"

"Just what I said before, I think it's nervous exhaustion. If there really is anything here, you and I will see it."

Four hours came and went without incident. Harry and Ron woke up Seamus and Dean and settled in to get some rest. They had barely dropped off when the two boys started shouting.

"There! There it is!" shouted Dean.

"Stupefy!" hollered Seamus, and Harry had to duck to avoid the jet of red light flying toward him.

"Stop! Stop firing!" yelled Harry.

"What is going on in there?" yelled a voice from the other side of the door. Dean, who was closest to it, got up and opened the door. A sixth year student named Martin Lowery entered the room. "If you guys don't stop making such a racket, I'm going to Professor McGonagall!"

"We're sorry, Martin," said Dean. "We didn't realize we were so loud. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't!" Martin stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Git," said Ron.

"I don't blame him," said Harry.

"Have you two gone mental?" said Ron. "And what's with you shooting your wand off at Harry?"

"I wasn't shooting at Harry," replied Seamus. "I was trying to get that thing."

"There is no thing," said Ron.

"There is!" argued Dean. "I've seen it three times already."

"You were dreaming, Dean," said Harry.

"I was not dreaming! I saw it!" shouted Dean.

"Shh," warned Seamus. "Not so loud."

"Harry and I sat up for four hours and didn't see anything."

"I know what I saw," stated Dean.

"I've had enough of this," said Harry, rising from his bed. "I'm sleeping in the common room."

The four boys gathered pillows and blankets and spent the rest of the night sleeping in the common room. They slept fitfully. They were awoken by Ginny.

"What are you all doing here? Come on, you'll miss breakfast."

They rose and dressed, except for Seamus, who chose to wear his dressing gown and bedroom slippers to the breakfast table. He didn't even stop to comb his hair. He had such an overpowering thirst that he practically sprinted to the Great Hall. He drank six cups of tea and a pitcher of pumpkin juice.  
They passed the day lazily napping on the lawn and lounging in the common room. They each, in turn, visited Neville, who was looking quite healthy and anxious to get out of the hospital wing. The boys dreaded the approach of evening. They elected to sleep in the common room again. They waited for the last stragglers to go to bed, and went up to their dorm to fetch pillows and blankets. They had just settled in for a good sleep when the stern voice of Minerva McGonagall rang in their ears.

"What do you four think you're doing? Camping out in front of the fire every night, is that why you all look so tired?"

"We're not tired, Professor," said Ron.

"Off to bed with you! And don't let me catch you sleeping here again!"

The boys trudged up to their dorm room in single file, looking very much like a death march. They took the precaution of sound-proofing the room before attempting to go to sleep. They each checked under their beds and under their blankets before slipping nervously between their sheets.

"Can we leave the lamps lit?" asked Dean.

"Fine by me," growled Harry.

Nerves made sleep come slowly, but eventually they all fell asleep. They were in bed a little more than two hours when Seamus woke them up.

"What is it?" snapped Harry without raising his head off the pillow.

"I had that dream again," said Seamus a little bashfully.

A chorus of aggravated groans came from the other three boys. No one rose out of bed. Again they fell asleep; this time for less than an hour. It was Dean's turn to wake them up.

"Just that nightmare, guys," said Dean, although no one had asked him anything, or had checked to see if he was okay.

A few hours passed before they all fell asleep for a third time. This time it was Harry who woke everyone up. He wasn't screaming, just kicking and mumbling. He was awakened by Ron's shoe smashing into his face.

"What the hell did you do that for?" shouted Harry as he tossed Ron's shoe back to him.

Ron looked almost mesmerized. "I saw it," he said quietly.

"Saw what?" snapped Harry.

"The Snape-man, he was sitting on your chest."

"I told you! I told you!" shouted Dean excitedly.

"Oh, come on!" screamed Harry. "There is no one in this room but us!"

"I saw it, Harry," said Ron quietly, "and I wasn't dreaming. I was awake."

Harry didn't respond to Ron. He sat in his bed rubbing his temples for a few moments before speaking again. This time his voice was calmer. "I just had Neville's nightmare." He looked over at Seamus and Dean. "Thanks for sharing, guys."

"Don't blame us," yelled Dean.

"Go to hell!" hollered Seamus.

Harry threw his blankets back in a temper and attempted to rise. Ron pushed him back down. "It's not worth fighting over…what's that?

"What?"

"You've got a spot of blood on your pillow."

"Your shoe cut my lip." The spot on Harry's pillow was on his left side. His lip was cut on the right side. Ron was too exhausted to work those details out.

"Sorry, I was aiming for the Snape-man."

"Not you too," said Harry. He tried to stay calm. "For that last time, there is no Snape-doll."

"I didn't say anything about a doll," said Ron curtly. "That thing was way too big to be a doll. It was almost as big as you, Harry."

"Whatever," said Harry. "Let's just go back to sleep."

Ron pushed his bed against Harry's. He sat awake for some time clutching his wand to his chest. The other three dozed uneasily. At some point, Ron must've fallen asleep because he woke up to Harry hitting him with his pillow.

"Wake up, Ron!"

"What?"

"You were screaming," said Harry, tucking his pillow back under his head.

"Did you have the dream?" asked Seamus.

"Yeah, it was horrible."

Harry grunted and rolled over with his pillow wrapped around his head and forced himself to go back to sleep. The next round of screams came from Harry. He woke to shouting and the feeling of his mattress being pushed down. He opened his eyes and sat up quickly. He was drenched in sweat and rubbing his chest. His eyes were wide with fear.

"We saw it," said Seamus.

"It was on your chest," said Dean.

Both boys had sprinted from their beds and jumped onto Harry's. Ron was standing on his bed, wand drawn, and scanning the room for movement.

"I was wrong," said Harry.

"About what," said Ron.

"That wasn't Neville's dream that I had earlier, or at least not all of it. You must've woken me up in the middle. I just had the full one, and it was horrible. And Snape definitely wasn't trying to snog me!" He was still rubbing his chest.

"Are you hurt?" asked Ron.

"No," replied Harry. "It's just bruised. It feels like Hagrid stood on me."

"Do you believe us now?" said Dean.

"Yeah…yeah I believe you."

"So here's the burning question," said Seamus. "What is going on, and how do we stop it?"

"It's got to be Snape," said Harry. "He must be cursing us."

"We should go to Dumbledore," said Dean.

"Dumbledore trusts Snape," said Harry. "It would be a waste of time."

"Are you sure?" said Seamus.

"Trust me," replied Harry. "I know."

"It can't hurt to try," insisted Seamus.

"Yes, it can," argued Harry. "If Dumbledore thinks we're wrong, there's a good chance he'll talk to Snape. If Snape finds out that we know what he's up to, he'll take more drastic measures."

"I know he's a bastard and all," said Dean, "but he's been a teacher here for years. Why would he start killing students now?"

"Because he's got it in for Harry," explained Ron as he sat down on his bed. "Harry's a special case with Snape.

"So why is he attacking us?" asked Dean.

"We're Harry's roommates; his closest friends. We'd be potential witnesses, and he'd probably take Neville out just for the fun of it."

The scenario seemed perfectly plausible to their foggy exhausted minds. After all, it was Snape they were all dreaming about, and he was a hateful git. What other explanation could there be?


	4. Chapter 4

UPDATE: I cleaned up the formatting on this. It was a bit cramped-sorry for that.

#

The four boys arrived early for breakfast the next morning. They were parched and were tapping the table, impatiently waiting for the pumpkin juice to arrive. Each drank huge amounts of juice and tea.

"What is going on with them?" said Ginny to Hermione. "They look dreadful."

"I don't know." Hermione was partly pensive, and partly angry. She knew Harry and Ron were keeping vital information from her, and she didn't like the secrecy. She was also very worried that they were all beginning to look like Neville. Try as she might, she could get no more information out of them, except for a reiteration of their paranoia about the nightmares.

The four grew even more secretive as the week wore on. They were constantly huddled together in hushed conversation. They took naps whenever and wherever they could. They were growing paler by the day, and McGonagall was eyeing them warily. They finally decided it was time to ask Hermione for help.  
Hermione sat next to Ginny in front of the unlit fireplace in the common room. March's unseasonably warm weather had turned into a heat wave. The windows in the common room were open to bring in the light warm breeze. Ginny was reading a magazine and Hermione was studying some ancient textbook. The four boys took seats around her.

"So, Hermione," began Ron, "what are you doing?" Ginny snorted from behind her magazine.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Ron?"

"Right," laughed Ron, "I see. Um, so do you know anything about girl stuff?"

"You perv!" blurted Ginny.

"I refuse to explain sex to you, Ronald! Go ask a man, or read a book!"

"That was very subtle, Ron," said Harry. "That's not what he was trying to say, Hermione. Um, I'm sure you've noticed how tired we all look."

"Of course," said Hermione, closing her book. "I've asked you about it numerous times."

"Well, we think McGonagall's been noticing too, and we want to ask you to help us cover it up."

"Are you asking for make-up tips?" laughed Ginny. The boys' expressions remained serious, and Ginny stopped laughing. "Just go to Madame Pomfrey."

"We did," said Seamus. "She said we're fine."

"I think Professor McGonagall will see through a glamour charm, Harry."

"Please, Hermione," said Harry in the most pathetic voice he could manage.

"Alright! But I don't like it."

"We'll need to go somewhere private," said Dean.

"We can use my corner in the library. No one's ever there but me."

"I'll fetch some more magazines," said Ginny.

Ginny was the last to arrive in the library. She had a huge stack of magazines in her arms. They each took one and opened it to the first charm they could find.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," said Hermione. Harry was her first test subject. She waved her wand, recited the charm, and stood back in dismay. The other boys began laughing. They couldn't decide which was funnier, Harry's bouffant hair or the ruby red lipstick and rouge.

"I'll try a different charm," said Hermione. She studied a different magazine and, this time, waved her wand over Ron. His hair grew to a long red ponytail. His eyelashes lengthened. Glittery blue make-up spread out from around his eyes like wings. The dark, glittering, blue lipstick was the crowning touch.

"Scrap that one, Ginny," said Hermione. "On to the third." Dean was her next victim. His hair slicked down, and gold glitter spread over his lengthened eyelashes. He wore orange and gold eye-shadow and rouge. His lips were deep orange. "And another failure," said Hermione. Ginny handed her another magazine.

"You're up, Seamus." Hermione waved her wand again. Seamus' hair rose up like a great crested wave. Emerald green glitter twinkled from it. The same glittery green spread up his cheeks, and painted his lips and eyes.

"That's the worst one yet," said Ginny. "Oh dear!" Ginny's eyes looked behind the boys. They turned to see Martin Lowery, books in hand, standing with is mouth agape. No one said a word. Martin quickly put his books away, raised his hands, palms forward, and backed away.

"We can trust Martin. He won't say anything," said Hermione.

"I've got it!" shouted Ginny. She folded the magazine and read from it. "The witch-next-door look. Best used for casual daywear." She laid the magazine out in front of Hermione.

"Back to you, Harry." Hermione waved her wand and recited the charm. "That's not too bad."

"Harry's hair is too neat though," said Ginny. "And his lips are a touch too red."

"Let me see if I can modify the charm," said Hermione. She pulled a scrap of parchment and a quill out of her bag and began to scribble. She crossed out a few lines and rewrote them several times, the boys grew increasingly impatient. She set down her quill and raised her wand again. "Once more, Harry."

"That's perfect," said Ginny. "He looks great."

"You're a genius, Hermione!" said Ron.

Ginny passed around a small mirror when Hermione was done. The boys all looked vibrantly healthy like they'd just stepped off the Quidditch pitch.

They exited the library just as Snape was stalking past. He appeared to be deep in thought. He stopped suddenly, his eyes wide. "Stop," his silky voice gave them chills. His eyes glittered menacingly as they passed over the boys' faces. "My how pretty you lads look today; all rosy-cheeked and pouty-lipped," said Snape. He looked like he was struggling not to laugh. The four boys and Ginny glared at him hatefully. Hermione nervously dropped her eyes. "Interesting reading material Potter, is that what you've been using for your Potions research?"

Harry was raging and was about to say something very stupid and very rude. The approach of Professor McGonagall stayed his tongue.

"Is there a problem, Severus?"

"Not at all, Professor," replied Snape with the ugliest smile Harry had ever seen on a human being, including Dudley. "I was just admiring your Gryffindors' healthy glow."

McGonagall frowned a little as her eyes moved from one face to the next. She rolled her eyes and in a weary voice said, "Away with you. Go find something constructive to do."

"Try not to make the other ladies too jealous now," said Snape as they walked away.

"That's quite enough, Severus," said McGonagall, rolling her eyes for the second time.

A close call indeed, they went back to the safety of the Gryffindor common room. The boys sat in front of the fireplace looking quite pleased with themselves. Seamus leaned forward and lit it.

"What are you doing, Finnigan?" shouted a seventh year boy.

"I'm cold," replied Seamus.

"It's eighty degrees outside." The boy flicked his wand and put the fire out. "Don't light it again."

"Git," whispered Ron as the boy walked back to his friends.

"Are you sure that Neville gave that doll to Hagrid?" said Hermione.

"What doll?" said Harry.

"The one you and Ron told me about."

Ron looked at Harry. "We didn't say anything about a doll," said Ron.

"You most certainly did! Harry even named it after Snape!" shouted Hermione.

"Snape's got a doll?" said Ginny.

"Alright, alright!" said Ron. "Maybe we did, and we forgot about it. What difference does it make?"

"I told you, I think that thing could be infectious. Except for the marks, you're all looking and behaving very much like Neville did."

"How many times do I have to say it?" said Seamus. "Madame Pomfrey said we're fine."

"Neville probably caught something from those Snape-moths," said Harry.

"The what?" said Ginny. Hermione folded her arms in disgust.

"Those big ugly moths that are all over the water garden Neville planted last year," explained Harry.

"Do you mean the butterflies? I think their quite pretty."

Harry looked affronted. "They're hideous, Ginny!"

"You know, Harry, you have a bad habit of naming ugly things after Snape."

"Don't, Ginny," said Ron. "Just don't."

"It's so obvious!" said Harry heatedly. "Snape's all black with pale yellow skin. The moths are black with pale yellow spots. I can't be the only one to see the resemblance."

"It's totally obvious," said Ron. "Now that you've pointed it out, I mean."

"The list just keeps getting bigger," said Ginny. "Snape's got his own flower, he may or may not have a doll, and now he has moths."

"Hi, guys," came the cheery voice of Neville Longbottom.

Neville!" Ginny and Hermione stood to hug him. "How are you feeling?"

"Great, I feel great. So how is everyone?"

The boys greeted him with all the excitement they could muster, which wasn't very much.

"Don't fall over each other to get to him," said Ginny.

"It's okay," said Neville. "They lost a lot of sleep because of me."

"That wasn't your fault, Neville," said Hermione.

"Easy for you to say," said Ron.

Hermione had enough. She picked up her ragged old textbook and bag and stomped away. "I've got studying to do!"

"Nice one, Ron," said Harry.

"It's not my fault she's moody."


	5. Chapter 5

UPDATE: I cleaned up the formatting on this. It was a bit cramped-sorry for that.

#

Hermione made a showy exit, but she had no intentions of returning to the library…yet. She'd been mulling the events over in her mind, and was torn between keeping her promise and her concern for the boys and their declining health. She went to see Hagrid. She trundled down the lawns, heavy book-bag over her shoulder, toward Hagrid's hut, hoping all the while that no one would see her and tell the boys. Hagrid was tending his garden and saw her as she approached.

"'ermione!" said Hagrid, smiling warmly. "Weren' expectin' yeh." He stood upright and leaned on his hoe. "Yeh look a bit outta breath. Did yeh run all the way?"

"Hello, Hagrid, I'm sorry to just barge in…."

"No need fer apologies. I like the comp'ny."

Hagrid leaned the hoe on the wall of his hut and ushered Hermione inside. He made tea. "What's upsettin' yeh, 'ermione? Yeh look worried."

"Does it show that much? I'm worried about the boys."

"What have those two bin up teh?"

"Not just them, Hagrid, it's Seamus, Neville, and Dean too. They're looking quite pale these days."

"They've not got them parasites, 'ave, they? Ooops, shouldn' o' said that. Professor McGonagall asked me not teh'."

"Parasites?" repeated Hermione, looking horrified. "That's what Madame Pomfrey diagnosed Neville with?"

"Don' ask me nuthin' else about that. Gotta keep meh word."

Hermione shuddered. "There's something else I wanted to ask you about. Ron and Harry said that Neville found a child's doll in Hogsmeade. They said Neville gave you the doll hoping you could find the owner."

"Nope, didn' gi' me no doll. I'll bet there's some poor little 'un cryin' 'er eyes out fer it though. Heartbreakin'," said Hagrid as he blew his nose into his giant hankie.

Hermione now had something more to ponder. First the boys claimed that Neville found a doll. Then they claimed not remember any such thing. They said Neville gave Hagrid the doll. Hagrid claims not to have received any dolls. Hermione desperately wanted to go to Professor McGonagall for advice, but she had no proof of anything as she had not personally seen the mysterious doll. The boys could easily refute her claims, leaving McGonagall with no reason to pursue further inquiry. She wasn't willing to break her promise regarding the nightmares. If Snape found out about them, his wrath would be immeasurable, and Neville would be laughing stock…well, he'd be a much bigger one.

#

"Neville?" said Harry. "Would you mind coming upstairs so we can talk in private?"

"Sure, Harry."

The five boys retired to their dorm room. Neville noticed immediately that the beds had been moved. "It's chilly in here. What's going on with the beds?"

"We've all been having your nightmare," said Seamus.

"What? How can we all have the same nightmare?"

"I suggest you push your bed next to mine," said Harry. "For safety."

"You're scaring me, Harry."

"What I'm going to say next is going to scare you more."

They each, starting with Harry, described in great detail what they had experienced. The good color Neville had when he entered the common room rapidly fled from his face. The chill in the room deepened and seemed to reach his bones.

"I have to ask you, Neville, did you have the dream while in the hospital wing?"

"No, Harry, not once."

"Good, that confirms my suspicions," said Harry.

Neville looked at each face in the room in turn. He was afraid to ask for an explanation, but it was forthcoming anyway.

"I think Snape has cursed us. The curse seems to be centered on this room, so we're all in danger. But I think I'm his true target. He's trying to kill me, and he's willing to take out the rest of you too."

"Cursed us," whispered Neville, as if saying it would make his mind accept the fact. "But why, Harry? Why would Snape try to kill us? He's never murdered any students before. Why start now?"

"Do we really know that, Neville?" replied Harry. "I mean, have any of us researched the deaths of any Hogwarts students during Snape's tenure?" All the boys exchanged glances, shaking their heads. "Exactly," continued Harry. "He could've killed a couple students a year for all we know."

"He'd be in Azkaban," said Neville.

"If he got caught," countered Harry. "Snape's a clever man; he wouldn't be that easy to catch. And that's our biggest problem right now. We can't figure out how to stop him."

"First we searched our Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks," said Seamus.

"When we didn't find anything," continued Dean, "we realized that Snape wouldn't use something so obvious."

"Everyone knows he's steeped in the Dark Arts," said Ron. "So it would be something out of the ordinary that he'd use, something most people wouldn't notice."

"We figure the answer might be in the Library's Restricted Section," said Harry. "But we can't figure out a way to get in there."

"There's no way we could convince any of the teachers to give us passes," said Seamus.

"And we can't all fit under Harry's invisibility cloak," said Ron.

"And," added Dean, "It's not safe to split up. Our only hope is to stay together."

All this was too much for Neville's delicate sensibilities to process. He sat on Harry's trunk, frozen with fear. "What about Hermione? Could she do the research for us?"

"We thought of that," answered Harry, "but Hermione's been nagging us to go to a teacher. She'll be really suspicious if we ask her to do Dark Arts research for us. No, we can't risk her going to McGonagall."

"What about Dumbledore?" said Neville. "He'll help us."

"We need proof first," replied Harry. "Then we can go to him."

The boys prepared for the evening. Neville's bed was as tight against Harry's as he could manage. He slipped out of his clothes and put on his pajamas.

"You need more layers than that, Neville," said Seamus.

"If you think it's chilly now," said Dean, "just wait a couple of hours."

Neville turned around and looked at the other four. They were putting on several pairs of socks and multiple pairs of pajamas with sweaters over top. Neville copied his roommates, but still hoped it was all a ruse. He could handle an elaborate prank. He wouldn't like it, but it would be better than what he was preparing to face.

They all climbed into their beds like soldiers entering a foxhole. Each had his wand clutched in his hand. "We take shifts, Neville," explained Harry. "Dean and I go first. We've found it works better when there's a person on either side of the room who stays awake. Ron and Seamus will take the second watch. We can split into a third watch now that you're here."

"Just wake me, and I'll sit up with you," offered Dean.

Neville was too frightened to sleep. He lay awake listening to every tiny sound. Dean was right about the chill in the room. It was so cold that Neville could see his breath. He was sorry he hadn't thought to wear his earmuffs, but was both too frightened and too cold to get out of bed and fetch them. Hours went by as he lay shivering under his bedclothes.

"Right, Neville, your turn," said Ron as he yawned and rolled over. He pulled his blankets up until they obscured his head. Seamus elbowed Dean, who sat up in a sleepy daze, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

Neville sat up. He clutched his wand tightly in both hands. Dean's eyes kept shutting; and with time, his head would droop and then pop up again in a losing battle to stay awake. Neville, as frightened as he was, didn't attempt to rouse him. He felt guilty, despite the fact that Harry thought himself the primary target. After all, it was Neville who started having these night terrors. Clearly it was himself who allowed the curse to take hold. Surely it couldn't hurt to let Dean have a little more sleep.

Dean's head ceased to bobble; it lay drooped over his chest. His breathing slowed, and his wand had disappeared under his blankets. He'd have a sore neck when he awoke, but at least he'd get some much needed sleep. Neville began to feel a little more confident as morning wasn't very far off. Slowly Neville's eyelids began to droop, and the grip on his wand loosened. Moments later his eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep. The next thing he remembered was being roughly wakened by Harry.

"Wake up, Neville!"

"Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay, we've all done it. You had the dream again, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Bastard!" grumbled Ron.

"I'm sorry, Ron."

"Not you, Neville. I meant Snape."

Neville's face was very pale and drawn. He had an overpowering thirst. Seamus dug a bottle of orange fizz out of his trunk and handed it to Neville. "We're all really thirsty for some reason. It must be part of the curse." The room had warmed up a little. It was morning, and they had to rise for class. Neville downed the entire bottle of orange fizz in a couple of gulps. He, like the rest, rose in a daze and dressed.

"We'll have to do something about his face," said Dean.

"What's wrong with my face?" asked Neville in a panic.

"You look pale," answered Seamus. "We all do, but Hermione used a glamour charm on us so the teachers don't get suspicious."

"I don't think Hermione will do it again," said Harry. "She's a little annoyed with Ron at the moment."

"We can try my sister." Ron managed to catch Ginny just before she left the common room. "I need to ask a favor of you. Do you think you can cast that charm that Hermione used on us?"

"What for?" said Ginny. "It's still working…Neville, you look awful! You should go back to the hospital wing."

"Not a chance," answered Neville.

"Please, Ginny, we don't have time to explain, and I'm in no mood to miss breakfast."

"Okay, okay!" Ginny took out her wand and pointed it at Neville's face. He tightly closed his eyes. "It's not going hurt, Neville. Hey, what's that on your neck?"

She moved the collar of Neville's sweater and counted six red puncture marks. "Ron look, he's got sores on his neck."

Ron leaned down to inspect, giving Ginny a good view of his own neck. "I don't see anything."

"You've got them too!"

"Don't be silly, Ginny." She held Ron's head so Harry could see his neck.

"There's nothing there, Ginny," said Harry.

"I don't believe this. Look, all of you look. They're right there."

"Don't see a thing," said Seamus.

"Me either," said Dean.

Neville shook his head. "I don't see anything either, Ginny. Sorry."

"Will you please let go of my head." Ron straightened up and rubbed his neck. "Hurry up, we can't miss breakfast."

Ginny flicked her wand and Neville instantly became the very image of good health and vigor.

"That's perfect, Ginny!" cried Ron. "Right, let's go lads."

They dashed out the door and sprinted to the Great Hall. "You're welcome, guys," said Ginny to no one.

There was a tussle when they reached the Gryffindor table. They all reached for the pitchers of juice at the same time and no one was willing to release his grip.

"It would be much easier if you would all let go and let one do the pouring," said Hermione snottily. Ginny arrived and sat down across from her. She pointed silently in the boys' direction. Hermione answered her by shrugging her shoulders.

The boys realized they were drawing attention to themselves and let go. Seamus and Dean were elected to pour the drinks. As Hermione and Ginny saw it, the boys seemed to be having a contest to see who could drink the fastest. Hermione was the first to leave the table; the boys were the last. The boys stopped between classes for drinks of water, and resumed their drinking contest at each meal.


	6. Chapter 6

UPDATE: I cleaned up the formatting on this. It was a bit cramped-sorry for that.

#

The boys huddled around the lit fireplace and whispered. The warm weather had drawn most of the students outside, so the common room was virtually deserted.

"Right," began Harry. "We need to go over this one more time." The boys grumbled in response.

"We've been over it dozens of times, and we're no further ahead," said Seamus.

"I know," answered Harry. "We're all tired, I know that, but surely the five of us together can outsmart one Greasy Git." Harry began to pace in front of the fire. He was spurred on by motivated paranoia, which was growing to the point where it had become visible to other students. Ginny and Hermione were keenly aware of the rumors that were starting to be bandied about regarding Harry's mental health. "These are the things that we know for sure. One; the curse is located in our dorm room."

"How do we know for sure?" said Dean. "If you're the primary target, you could be the source of the curse."

"Harry and I fell asleep on the lawn and didn't have any dreams."

"Oh, right," said Dean with a yawn. "You said that. I forgot."

"That's okay," said Harry. "That's good, you're still thinking, that's good. Now where was I? One; the curse is in our dorm. Two; it only affects us in our sleep."

"Not in our sleep," said Ron.

"What?"

"Not in our sleep, Harry; in our dreams."

"That's right, Ron! It attacks us through our dreams."

"So how does that help us?" said Neville. "We can't stop dreaming."

"Yes we can," said Ron. All eyes turned to him. "We'll get Hermione to brew Dreamless Sleep Potions for us.

"That's brilliant, Ron!" shouted Harry.

#

Hermione was the sole occupant of a small table that sat at the far end of the common room. There were several books stacked in front of her. Two of them sat open, and she was presently scribbling notes from them onto a large length of parchment. The table jostled, and Hermione looked up to see five charmed faces smiling dumbly at her.

"What have you done now?"

"We haven't done anything," answered Neville.

"We need to ask a favor of you," said Harry.

"I'm not doing your homework for you." Hermione resumed scribbling.

"We want you to make Dreamless Sleep for us," said Ron.

Hermione didn't look up. "Why don't you ask Madame Pomfrey for some?"

"We can't risk her finding out," replied Harry.

"Why don't you just lie to her? You're all very good at it…except Neville. No offence intended, Neville."

"None taken."

"She'll be suspicious if all five of us ask her," said Seamus.

Hermione didn't respond. She turned a page in both of her textbooks and kept scribbling.

"Please help us, Hermione," said Neville.

"Oh, alright! But if Snape catches me stealing from his supplies, I'm blaming all of you."

"You won't need to steal from him," said Harry. "There's an herbalist in Hogsmeade."

"We can't afford that!" said Dean.

"It's alright, Dean. I can cover the expense," said Harry

"We'll all put toward it," said Ron. "Whatever we've got."

"There is one problem," said Hermione. "The herbalist probably knows Snape."

"So what?" said Ron.

"So, she's an old gossip and she might tell Snape what I've bought." Hermione looked around the table at five blank faces. "Meaning, buying enough supplies for five people might look a little suspicious."

"Tell her you're tutoring us in Potions because we're really bad at it."

"That's very plausible," said Hermione with a proud smile. "Well done, Ron!"

"It happens from time to time."

"Great!" said Harry, "now all we have to do is stick it out until Saturday."

#

The boys waited impatiently outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They were initially in the room with Hermione, but their relentless fussing and hovering annoyed her, and she kicked them out. Harry and Neville paced agitatedly, while the others napped restlessly. They prayed that neither Snape nor Filch would show up and ruin the only plan they had.

Hermione emerged after an eternity, proclaiming her work was complete. The boys were elated beyond words. Finally they had a weapon to use against that creeping dungeon bat. If the potion worked as they all hoped, they would regain their strength, redouble their efforts, and find a way to stop the Greasy Git for good.

The boys helped Hermione clean up, and gingerly took up their precious cargo. They each hid a goblet of potion under their shirts and raced back to their dorm room. They reluctantly parted with their miracle anti-Git weapon just long enough to make an appearance at dinner.

They chose to go to bed immediately after leaving the Great Hall and returned to their dorm. Neville had the foresight to not only wear his earmuffs, but he also took the precaution of wearing his coat to bed. They all sat in their beds, goblets in hand, confident that they could best the Greasy Git. In unison, they tipped their goblets back and lay down for a good night's rest. As it happens, the one thing they thought would shield them from attack was the worst possible thing they could've done.

#

_Neville walked the corridors of Hogwarts' Dungeons. There was no carpeting on the floor and nothing hanging on the stone walls. Neville felt ill-at-ease. His eyes told him he was walking about the dungeons, but there was such an unfamiliar feel to the place. It was very cold, much colder than usual, and a different sort of cold; it felt unnatural. There was no other explanation. Neville's feet carried him forward by their own will. He heard a soft crying-moan somewhere in the distance, and it was the first time that he realized there were no other sounds but his own breathing and that distant crying._

_He quickened his pace. He felt himself being turned sharply around a corner and put his hand out for fear of hitting the wall. It felt slimy and cold. Neville tried to wipe the slime from his hand onto his coat, but it clung stubbornly. The crying became louder, and Neville grew more concerned. Who could this poor suffering soul be? Perhaps it was Peeves playing a trick. That would explain why no one else was bothered by the sound._

_A few more turns brought him to the source of the crying. Is it? It couldn't be. Professor Snape, in a very messy-looking nightshirt, was leaning against the wall…and crying. Neville couldn't believe his eyes or his ears. Snape was making the most piteous sound Neville ever heard._  
_"Professor?" called Neville softly._

_Snape didn't answer. He stood, slightly slouched, clinging to the slimy cold wall. The back of his nightshirt was dirty, and the front was wet. He stood barefoot in a puddle that was letting off steam. He'd clearly been sick on himself._

_Neville plucked up the courage to approach his volatile Potions Master. "Sir," he said as he gently laid a hand on Snape's bony shoulder. He felt unnaturally cold, but he wasn't shivering. Neville's nose was abruptly overwhelmed by a most revolting odor. He gagged a little, and put his hand to his mouth. He had to get Snape to the hospital wing immediately._

_"Come with me, sir, I'll take you to Madame Pomfrey. She'll get you feeling better." Neville spoke gently. His touch on Snape's shoulders was equally gentle as he turned the man to him and began walking. Snape's head and shoulders were turned down, and Neville couldn't see his face. He looked down so he didn't step on Snape, and was astonished to see that the man had such big feet. He said nothing, however, as that would've been a rude and insensitive thing to declare._

_"Here we are, sir. You just sit down on this bed here, and I'll fetch Madame Pomfrey. Don't try to get up." Neville ran to Pomfrey's office calling for her, but she wasn't there. He checked her storeroom. There was no sign of her anywhere. Neville passed an un-shuttered window. The sky was moonless and starless. He returned to Snape, who was still sitting on the bed where Neville had put him. His back was to Neville, but he was now sitting upright instead of hunched over. Neville thought he was going to be sick again and ran to him._

_Neville jumped at the sight of the horror watching him from the bed. That thing was most definitely not Snape. There were no whites to its black eyes, and it didn't blink. Its mouth was too wide and was full of misshapen teeth. Its skin was dry and ashen. Neville turned to flee, but hit a stone wall. He was no longer in the hospital wing, nor was he looking at the familiar stone walls of the dungeons. The walls surrounding him were black, slimy, and cold. There were no windows or doors, and no one to answer his cries._

_#_

The potion Hermione brewed was top-notch. It prevented the boys' natural dream cycle and, in essence, prevented their subconscious minds from being able to recognize danger. The boys were unable to rise from a naturally occurring nightmare. Their minds and bodies lay helpless and prone to the whims of the abhorrent creature that was feeding upon them.


	7. Chapter 7

UPDATE: I cleaned up the formatting on this. It was a bit cramped-sorry for that.

#

"Ginny?" called Hermione, "have you seen the boys?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"We're going to be late for class." Hermione bit her lip and looked to see if any boys were still lingering. She saw Martin Lowery as he ran for the door. "Martin! Can you help us?"

"Can't, Hermione, I'm going to be late, and I've got Snape for my first class."

"It will only take a moment, I promise."

"Alright, make it quick."

"Will you go upstairs and wake the boys?" Martin dropped his bag, and dashed up the stairs taking three at a time.

"Did you see those marks on their necks?" said Ginny.

Hermione whirled around to face Ginny. "What marks?"

"Neville and Ron have red sores on their necks. I showed them to the others, but they swore they couldn't see them. I was so angry, I wanted to punch them. They were being deliberately obtuse."

Hermione dropped her bag and grabbed Ginny's arm. "Come with me!"

#

Martin banged loudly on the boys' door and shouted, "Get up, classes have started!" He had no intentions of waiting for a response, but the coldness of the door made him curious. He temporarily forgot about Snape. He grabbed the doorknob. It was so cold that his hand stuck to it. He instinctively pulled his hand away, tearing skin away from his fingers and palm. He drew his wand, pulled his sleeve over his injured hand, and opened the door. It slowly swung open. The room was silent as Martin entered. He slyly peeked around the door, but neither saw no nor heard any movement. It was so frigid that Martin could see his breath. There was an unnatural feeling in the room that made Martin very frightened. He felt as though he were being watched. He reached over to Dean and touched his face. He quickly withdrew his hand. He'd never felt anyone that cold before. Slowly he began to back his way out of the room, and jumped when he bumped into something.

"Out of the road, Mr. Lowery!" hollered McGonagall. "She stopped in the middle of the room with her wand drawn. "Don't touch anything."

"Too late, Professor." Martin held up his bleeding hand.

"Mr. Lowery, go get Madame Pomfrey, and if you see any teachers on the way, bring them with you too. Girls, go downstairs and don't let any students up here."

"What about you, Professor?" asked Hermione.

"Well, I'm staying here, of course." She put her wand to her throat. Her voice echoed through the school as she spoke. "Headmaster Dumbledore, please come to Gryffindor Tower. This is an emergency."

Dumbledore arrived before anyone else. The unnatural coldness in the room seemed to creep away from him. The room warmed quickly. He checked each of the boys. They were still alive, but in a very deep sleep.

"Parasites are not the cause of this, Albus."

"No, indeed, Minerva." Dumbledore walked about the room holding his hands above each boy. He didn't draw his wand. He stopped at Neville's bed and frowned. Professors Sprout and Flitwick entered the room, followed seconds later by Madame Pomfrey. "Minerva and I will help you move the boys, Poppy. Pomona and Filius, there is a cursed object somewhere in this room. I need you to search for it. Be careful, it is dangerous, and it could be anything at all."

#

Once ensconced in the warm beds of the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey unbundled the boys from their multitude of clothing layers, and put them all in fresh pajamas. She put their clothes in a cupboard near the door. She first fed them Blood Replenishers. When their vital signs were stronger, she gave them Pepper-Up Potions to rouse them. Finally, she gave them each an anti-parasitic as a precaution. Dumbledore ordered classes to be canceled, to the delight of the students.

"It's the same pattern, Albus," said Poppy. "They're severely anemic and have groups of puncture marks on their necks, wrists, and ankles. I should like an anti-parasitic to be administered to the entire student body, just as precaution."

"An excellent idea, Poppy."

"But, Albus," began McGonagall, "I thought we agreed that parasites are not the cause of the boys' illness."

"Not the cause, Minerva, but a potential effect. Parasites would be an excellent way to spread this…contagion. It's best to err on the side of caution. I'll talk with the boys later. For now, if anyone needs me, I'll be in the Potions lab helping Severus."

#

Dumbledore sat at a long table cutting, smashing, and slicing a mountain of Potion's ingredients. Snape stood stirring the contents of his four largest cauldrons.  
"Any thoughts on our current predicament, Severus?"

"I do not believe we're dealing with an outbreak of parasites, if that's what you're asking."

"Yet you're busily brewing gallons of anti-parasitic."

"It never hurts to be cautious."

"Surely not," agreed Dumbledore.

Snape was silent for a moment as he counted his stirs. He removed the ladles and let the cauldrons simmer. "I believe we're dealing with some very Dark Magic."  
"I agree." Dumbledore set down his knife and proclaimed, "There we are, Severus. All finished." Snape picked up the bowls, one at a time, and began adding more ingredients. Dumbledore waited for Severus to step away from the cauldrons before continuing. "We shall need to devise a plan, just you and I, to rid ourselves of this menace. The children should not be told…."

#

The boys were sitting up in bed. They had finished eating their dinner hours ago. They were ecstatic to be out of their dorm room, but still unwilling to admit to having nightmares. Pomfrey had quarantined them from the other students, so they were feeling a bit lonely without visitors. Dumbledore had decided that the boys should have company through the night, and he took the first watch. He sat at a table with a magazine, a pot of tea, and a tin of biscuits. He dunked his biscuit into his tea cup, plopped it in his mouth, and set down his magazine.

"Is there anything you boys think you should tell me?"

"No, sir," said Harry a bit too quickly. The others followed his cue.

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled brightly as they moved from one set of eyes to the next. His eyes flitted over to the clothing cupboard for a second and settled back on his magazine. He conjured a quill and began to write. "Anyone know a three letter word for falsehood?" He didn't wait as he answered his own question. "Oh, it's 'fib', how silly of me."

Madame Pomfrey bustled in floating a tray full of potions. "Those aren't sleeping potions, are they?" said Neville nervously.

"No, Mr. Longbottom. You'll be getting a Draught of Peace and that's it." Pomfrey waved her wand and a single goblet floated to each recipient. "Drink all of it, Mr. Potter." The empty goblets returned to their tray, and Madame Pomfrey bade everyone goodnight.

"Well then," said Dumbledore, "off to sleep everyone. Pleasant dreams."

The boys happily settled down into their beds. They knew nothing would or could harm them as long as Dumbledore was there. Sleep came quickly.

Professor Sprout stayed with them the second evening. She sat in a large, yellow, squishy armchair knitting a scarf. She fell asleep after a few hours and snored loudly.

The third night the boys had Professor Flitwick as a companion. He brought a book with him, which he kept dropping. He periodically rose from his chair to stretch and pace the floor, and repeatedly tripped over the ends of the boys' beds. "Oops, sorry, Weasley, that was just me. Go back to sleep."

Professor McGonagall had the fourth night. She sat in a conjured burgundy armchair with her feet up, and a tartan blanket over her legs. A cup of tea sat steaming next to her. She was a blessedly silent companion and the boys had a good night's sleep.

The fifth night brought Professor Snape's unwelcome person. He was the only one of the professors that didn't wear nightclothes, nor did he sit. He silently paced the floor with his arms crossed, and his wand resting against the opposite shoulder of his wand hand. The room was dark except for the moonlight that seeped into the room through the cracks in the shutters. The boys were determined not to go to sleep, and wished Dumbledore hadn't left them alone with this murderous monster.

Harry rolled over to face Ron and whispered something to him. "Go to sleep, Potter."

"No," said Harry defiantly and sat up in bed. The other four did the same. "I'm on to you, Snape. I know what you've been up to."

"Harry!"

"I'm not going to pretend anymore, Ron. He's going to face me while I'm awake and can fight back." Harry reached for his wand on the night table, but it wasn't there. Dumbledore had removed them on the first evening, and none of the boys had noticed.

"Harry, will you shut up and look?"

Harry, in his temper, hadn't realized how cold the room had become until he saw Ron's breath. Snape appeared strangely calm. His arms were still crossed over his chest.

"Professor, look behind you," said Seamus.

"Quiet," said Snape.

"But, sir!"

Snape flicked his wand and all five beds slid to the far end of the room, well away from the exit. The boys sprang out of bed and huddled in a corner.

"What's he doing?" said Dean.

"Looks like he's reciting something," answered Ron.

Snape was still facing the boys. He was speaking softly in a calm yet insistent tone. The creature had appeared behind him. It was half obscured in shadow. Now that the two stood together, it was clear that the only resemblance between it and Snape was that they were both thin with long black hair. Snape, as ugly as Harry thought he was, was still very much human. The thing that stood behind him was not. Its body was skeletal and its limbs were disproportionately long. It had huge hands and feet, all of which ended in talon-like claws. Its head came roughly to the top of Snape's ear.

The creature took a step and Snape whirled around it, a flurry of black, and met it with his eyes cast to the floor. He stood defiantly between it and the boys. He spoke more loudly, and in a more commanding tone.

"Ego expello vos , atrum phasmatis."  
(I banish thee, dark spirit.)

Snape ceased to move, but continued chanting, "Ego expello vos, ego expello vos…."

The creature became enraged and began to howl as if it were in pain.

"I think he's trying to get rid of it," said Neville.

"Why doesn't he use his wand?" said Harry.

The creature took another step toward him, but Snape didn't retreat. His chanting continued. The creature screamed in temper, and a deep evil-sounding growl seemed to erupt from every corner of the room. Snape remained undeterred. The creature raised its hands as if to push at Snape. His hair and robes blew back, his head jerked backwards from the force of the invisible strike, but he remained unwavering. The boys could feel no breeze, and the bedclothes didn't flutter.  
The creature spoke in a language the boys had never heard. Snape ignored it. A revolting odor met their noses, which made them gag. Snape coughed, but continued to chant. The growling was now mixed with an unholy maniacal laughter. The creature pushed its hands again, and Snape began to slide backwards. He was struggling hard against the invisible force and rapidly losing ground. He was pushed back several feet before regaining his footing. He leaned forward, his eyes still averted away from the creature's, and raised his free hand as if pushing back against something. The veins in his temples bulged and the muscles in his neck were taught with exertion. Still, he chanted. The creature swatted its hand at him, and slashed his face.

Madame Pomfrey came running from her quarters with her wand drawn. She ran to Snape's side, but he pushed her back, and was nearly knocked off his feet. He stopped chanting to speak to her. Yelling over the thunderous sound of rushing wind in his ears, he said, "Only use your wand to deflect debris! Don't look in its eyes, and keep them back!"

Pomfrey ran to the boys, trying to block their view. The creature had stepped closer while Snape was speaking, and Seamus and Dean had looked in its eyes. They were mesmerized and began to walk toward it. Ron and Neville tried to help Madame Pomfrey hold them back. Their strength was extraordinary.  
Snape resumed chanting. The creature tried another tactic. It flung a bed at Snape's head. He deflected it with his wand, and it broke though the shutters and sailed out the window. The creature tore a bedframe into pieces and sent them rushing at Snape. He deflected most of them. One piece managed to slice across his upper back and exposed a bloody shoulder.

Madame Pomfrey struggled to keep herself between the boys and that profane thing. Harry took advantage of her distraction and snatched her wand out of her hand. She hollered after him. Harry raced in front of Snape and shouted, "Stupefy!"

"No, Potter!" bellowed Snape, but he was too late. The creature absorbed the spell's energy and used it to fling Snape violently backwards. His head was mere inches from colliding with the wall when his body abruptly stopped and floated gently to the floor. Pomfrey ran to him, but he was back on his feet in an instant shoving her back to the boys.

A rush of frigid stale air blew across the room and a dull grey light appeared next to the creature. The light seemed to be emanating from something small lying on the floor. The silhouettes of other creatures appeared in it. Harry had unwittingly given the creature enough energy to open a portal. Harry stood immobilized by uncertainty. He did the only thing he could think of to help Snape, and now he stood alone in front of that thing. He had no idea what Snape had been chanting, and didn't know what to do. He felt himself being shoved back to the corner of the room and was powerless to stop it. He rejoined Pomfrey and the other boys and was set free, except for a bluish wall of energy that separated them from the creatures. Seamus and Dean beat their hands against it, but couldn't move beyond it.

Snape strode past the barrier toward the creatures and resumed his chanting.

"Look!" cried Neville, "it's Dumbledore!" Behind the creature's thick veil of darkness, shrouded in a light of his own making, stood Dumbledore. The creature shrunk in fear and refused to face him. It continued to focus its attacks on Snape. Dumbledore raised his hands, as though taking something between them, and slowly moved them together. He was also chanting, but it was different from what Snape was speaking.

"Haec limina pertransiri non potest."  
(This threshold cannot be crossed.)

Dumbledore moved closer to the creatures, bringing his hands together as he did so. The silhouetted creatures began to scream, and claw, and bite at each other and at the unseen doorway. All the furniture in the room began to slide into the closing portal. Snape's feet slid toward the creatures. He leaned back trying to pull away from the invisible force that was dragging him nearer to oblivion. He never stopped chanting.

Only Snape's head and bloodied shoulder remained visible. The rest of him was engulfed in the closing portal. Dumbledore stepped forward, moving freely through the shrinking space, and pulled Snape free. Steam rose from Snape's robes; Dumbledore's were pristine. Dumbledore turned around to face the nearly closed portal, put his hands together, and gripping them tightly said finally, "Haec limina pertransiri non potest. Via clausa est."  
(This threshold cannot be crossed. The way is closed.)

The portal closed with a tremendous explosive sound that was heard all the way to Hogsmeade. Pomfrey and the boys were protected from its effects by Dumbledore's energy shield. Snape wasn't so lucky. He gripped his ears and staggered. Dumbledore conjured a chair for him and sat him down. He had to hold him in place as Snape was listing to one side and nearly fell off the chair. Blood trickled from both his ears.

Dumbledore took down his shield and Madame Pomfrey ran to Snape. She moved her wand over his ears, one at a time. He grimaced as she worked on him. She then turned and ran to her storeroom for a healing potion. Dumbledore released Snape, who was now able to sit upright.

The door to the hospital wing flew open and Hagrid stormed in with McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout in tow. A growing crowd of frightened students appeared outside the room.

"Ah, Hagrid, just the person I wanted to see." Dumbledore extended his hand and a little doll that had lain unseen on the floor flew into it. "Take this doll to Hogsmeade and ask if anyone knows anything about it. Also, ask if anyone's been ill or has been behaving strangely. Minerva, Pomona, and Filius, get the students back to their houses, then follow after Hagrid. There may be some unfortunate victims who'll need to be restrained. Bring them back here."

"Is that the cursed object you had Filius and I look for?" said Sprout.

"It is," replied Dumbledore. "I suspect it entered the hospital wing hidden in the pocket of Neville's coat."

"What are we dealing with, Albus?" said Flitwick

"Some very Dark Magic, Filius. The perpetrator of which will no doubt be a highly skilled and very learned Sorcerer. Use extreme caution."

The professors filed out of the room ushering their students back to their houses. Dumbledore turned to Madame Pomfrey. "We may be needing your services, Poppy."

"I hope they don't mind standing, because I have no beds to put them in."

"Let me just take care of that for you." Dumbledore slipped his wand out of his sleeve and waved it around the room. He conjured several rows of beds complete with night tables. "Better?"

"Oh, yes, thank you, Albus."

"You may go back to your dormitory, boys. I assure you, it's perfectly safe now."

"What just happened, Professor?" said Harry. "What was that thing?"

"That was a type of spirit, Harry, a being that doesn't belong in this world. It would take a very talented witch or wizard to bring it here. This sort of magic is very old and very dark."

"So that thing was living inside the doll?"

"Correct, Harry. One of the benefits of being a spirit is that one doesn't require a great deal of room. Now off to bed." Dumbledore moved his hand to usher the boys along. Harry stopped at the door and looked back. "Do forgive my tardiness, Severus," said Dumbledore as he patted Snape's good shoulder. "Peeves had a terrified first year cornered in the toilet."

Snape was still seated. He looked up at the Headmaster, wide-eyed, and opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He sat silently sipping from a goblet. He looked like one of Hagrid's pets had spent the day dragging him though the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore didn't have a wrinkle or a spot on his robes. Even his hair was neat.

"You've had enough for one evening, Severus. I can carry on without you. Get some rest, my boy."


End file.
